Stout Meatballs with BBQ Sauce (165 of 150)

This is it. The last recipe of 2023. I surpassed my goal by 15 recipes. Woot. 

I was hoping this recipe was a winner. It sounded so good to me and yet, it really wasn't that great. 

First, for some inexplicable reason QFC didn't have ground pork. So I went with all ground beef. I think ground pork would have added flavor and texture to the meatballs. They were lacking something. 

Second, the BBQ sauce, in my opinion, had too much paprika. It kinda ruined it for me. 

Maybe I'd make this again some day, but unlikely. 

Stout Meatballs with BBQ Sauce

Recipe from Jo Cooks

For Meatballs:

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 eggs
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin (ground)
• 1/2 c Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 c stout beer ((I used Guinness))

For BBQ Sauce:

• 2 T olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1/3 c soy sauce
• 4 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1 T Sriracha sauce
• 2 c stout beer
• 4 tsp smoked paprika
• 2/3 c brown sugar
• 6 ounce tomato paste ((1 can))
• 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste)
• 1 T fresh parsley (chopped, for garnish)

Preheat your oven to 400 F degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

In a large bowl add all the meatball ingredients and mix well using your clean hands. Shape the meat mixture into balls around the size of a golf ball. You should get around 40 meatballs.

Place the meatballs onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Start making the sauce while the meatballs are baking. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds until aromatic.

Add all of the remaining sauce ingredients, except for the parsley, and whisk well. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and reduced by about half.

Add the meatballs to the sauce and toss them around making sure they are fully covered in sauce. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

Garnish with fresh parsley and serve over mashed potatoes.

2023 Favorite Recipes

Photo credit
to Mashable

It's often very hard to decide if a recipe gets the coveted listing of "Favorite". I try so many recipes that sometimes they all blur together. Even as I read my list of favorites some of them I don't even remember. 

And some of them are the standouts. These are the ones that as I glance over my list of recipes, THESE I remember. Some I've made multiple times and plan on making them more in 2024.

My Top 5

These were my 5 favorite recipes of 2023. These aren't in any favorite order.  

• Flank Steak in Adobo - This one is a stand out because it was so flavorful and so amazing the next day. It reminded me of Chili Colorado, which I always order when going out to Mexican food. The depth of flavor in this recipe was amazing. It is a Cook's Country recipe so I shouldn't be surprised. 
• Porto Bifanas - I made these right after we got back from Portugal. I was so impressed with their Bifana sandwiches that I wanted to replicate it for the Sunday Dinner group. And it was one of those recipes that when eating, the group is silent. 
• German Pork Cutlets - I set up a German Sunday Dinner theme after we returned from German and yet it took me over a year and a half to get to it. I was going to do German Sausages but couldn't find any. So I had to find an alternative. Google showed me this recipe and OH LORD was it amazing. 
• Honey Butter Skillet Corn - I made this for the Hunter Wives dinner this year. The dinner is always country fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy and corn. It was mom/dad's favorite recipe. This year I decided to make a different corn just to add to my recipe list. I've made this 5 more times since then. It's that good. 
• One Pot Beef Stroganoff - I have a Kick Ass Stroganoff recipe that is always my go to. This recipe may have changed my "go to" stroganoff. 

Favorite Low Carb: Inside Out Burger

Favorite Marinade: Wicked Good Steak Marinade

Favorite Pasta: Lover's Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

I'm looking forward to 2024 and more recipes. I'm going to make my goal 175. That will be a challenge. Assuming I cook Saturday and Sunday I'll end the year at 166 new recipes. 175 will be a stretch but I can do it. 

Fully Loaded Spinach Salad with Bacon and Blue Cheese (164 of 150)

Photo from Mom100

Christmas day came and went in a blur. My sister in law and my middle brother came over. I made a pseudo beef pot pie and this spinach salad. 

This had all the components a good spinach salad usually has for me. The one thing missing was some type of sweet berry like strawberry or blueberry. Still it was really great. It's a basic salad and super easy to put together. 

It does take some planning because you need to fry up back so you have the bacon grease for the salad dressing.

Fully Loaded Spinach Salad with Bacon and Blue Cheese

Recipe from The Mom 100

Serves 4

• ¼ c extra virgin olive oil
• 3 T red wine or sherry vinegar
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp honey
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 T warmed bacon fat reserved from cooking the bacon, optional
• 8 c baby spinach
• ½ c halved and thinly sliced red onion
• 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
• 1 c bacon lardons or crumbled cooked bacon

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper. Whisk in the bacon fat, if using.

Add the spinach and red onion, and toss to coat with the dressing. Distribute over the blue cheese and bacon and gently toss again, or serve as is and toss at the table.

Best Ever Cabbage Roll Soup (163 of 150)

It's the holiday season and during this time of year I'm bombarded with memories. Many of them are happy and almost always are around food. Things my Mom or Dad used to cook. I may do a whole week of Mom and Dad recipes next year. 

Anyhow, it's been wet and cold, as usual, here in the PNW. And that screams soups to me. I was reading one of my mom's recipes in her old gray box and knew I had to make it. Only problem is, it makes a lot and is kinda a pain in the behind. 

So why not make the  next best thing? Instead of making Cabbage Rolls, I'm making Cabbage roll soup!

This recipe was amazing and easy. I cut it in half (as I do with all my recipes) and it made enough for my dinner, one left over, and a left over for the Pantry Goat. She'll be thrilled. 

The original recipe makes this soup more stew in consistency. I like brothy soups so I added a can of water to rinse out the tomato sauce. I also only used one can of tomato sauce when I cut it in half. Thus the can of water to help with more liquid. 

I added a couple of dashes of hot sauce too. Not sure why but it kinda felt like I wanted some heat with this. I passed on the bay leaf because I'm not convinced the do anything for a recipe. I certainly won't miss it.

Finally, this recipe is going into the 2023 Favorites list. 

Best Ever Cabbage Roll Soup

Recipe from My Incredible Recipes

Serves 4 - 6

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 large yellow onion diced finely
• 4 garlic cloves mince
• 2 medium carrots quartered and sliced
• 2 c chopped cabbage
• 4 c low-sodium beef stock
• 3 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
• 1/2 c uncooked white rice
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 T light brown sugar
• 2 T freshly chopped parsley

In a large pot, brown ground beef, onions and garlic in olive oil and saute over medium-high heat.

Cook until the meat is no longer pink.

Add in carrots, cabbage, beef stock, tomato sauce, white rice, bay leaf, and brown sugar to the pot and add salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer for 25 minutes, or until rice is fully cooked.

Take out the bay leaf and serve with fresh parsley and cheese!

ENJOY!

    

One Pot Beef Stroganoff (162 of 150)

Y'all should know by now I like Stroganoff. I have a Kick Ass Recipe that is my go to. Occasionally I try different stroganoff recipes to see if I could improve on my recipe (so far I have not had to). 

This recipe came very close to me kicking my recipe to the curb. I did not do the "one pot" thing and adjusted the recipe accordingly. But, it was still amazing. Full of that comfortable stroganoff flavor. The wine adds a nice touch to the flavor. 

I also actually used egg noodles for this recipe. I usually make my stroganoff with rice (because it heats up better).

I put notes below on how I changed it up to not do the one pot thing. I cut the recipe in half first, then adjusted.

One Pot Beef Stroganoff

Recipe from Damn Delicious

Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 12 ounces cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 1/2 medium sweet onion, diced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (JW: I did use about this amount of wine)
• 4 cups beef stock (JW: I used about 3/4 cup beef stock. I had made a full cup of stock and had it on hand in case I had to thin it out. 
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 8 ounces egg noodles, uncooked
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and browned, about 3-5 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks. Stir in garlic and thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.

Stir in wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.

Stir in beef stock, Worcestershire, Dijon and egg noodles; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 9-10 minutes.

Stir in sour cream until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.

Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Baked "Kfc" Chicken (161 of 150)

Photo from Just a Pinch

This recipe has all sorts of potential. I will be making this one again. Not that it was so delicious, but rather I made a rooky mistake. 

I made the full seasoning as it's stated below and used ALL OF IT on one chicken breast cut into cubes. SOOO Salty. Sherrie would have loved them. Me? Not so much. 

That said, I do like the flavor of this seasoning and the way it was baked. It didn't make it crunch or anything because dingle dork (aka me) forgot the flour part. Ugh. It was really seasoned chicken chunks! 

So while I made a couple mistakes, I'm still counting it as an "attempt" at a new recipe. 

Baked "Kfc" Chicken

Recipe from Just A Pinch

Serves 4

1/2 tsp salt

1 T Season-All season salt

3/4 tsp pepper

1 c all-purpose flour

2 tsp paprika

1 c buttermilk

1/4 c butter

1 1/2 - 2 lb chicken tenderloins

Place thawed chicken breast tenderloin strips in a bowl of buttermilk. Let soak for 20-30 min.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut 1/2 stick of butter into a few pieces and place in a 9x13 pan. Melt butter in the preheated oven.

Spread melted butter around the bottom of the pan. Lightly spray the pan, if needed, to make sure that there are no dry spots.

You can either add the seasonings to a resealable plastic bag or combine them in a bowl.

Shake excess milk off of the chicken. Completely coat each piece with the seasoning mix.

Place each piece of chicken in the pan.

Cook for 20 min.

Turn each piece of chicken and continue cooking for 20 more minutes or until cooked through. ENJOY!

Dad's Spanish Rice (160 of 150)

One of the first meals I remember helping dad make was his Spanish Rice. My young 12 year old self knew nothing about cooking and this was my first lesson (that I remember anyhow). 

I distinctly remember dad having me chop the jalapeno and onion. He showed me how to bend my fingers when holding the lines of jalapeno and how to rock the knife. I sucked at it and the jalapeno bits were all over the place. A lot has changed since then. I can chop like a master. 

Since the first Spanish rice lesson, I've had a LOT of Spanish rice. And I can tell you I've NEVER had it like this. Never had burger in my Spanish rice, and never had bacon or mushrooms in it either. No matter, this is the best Spanish Rice. 

I don't remember Dad using Minute Rice, but I used it tonight because I had it and I was trying hard to follow the recipe. 

Dad's Spanish Rice

Recipe from Dad

Serves 4

• 2 c minute rice
• 1 clove garlic, minced (Right...one clove. Try 3)
• 1/3 c bacon drippings
• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 2 cans tomato sauce (8 oz each)
• 1 8oz can mushrooms, drained (I used fresh mushrooms)
• 1 small jalapeno, chopped fine
• 1/2 c onion, chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• Pork Chops

Salt and pepper

Brown pork chops and set aside. 

Brown bacon until crisp. Remove from pan and set aside.  

Brown ground beef, onions, jalapeno, mushrooms and garlic in bacon drippings.

 Add minute rice and cook until absorbed, add tomato sauce. 

Add remaining ingredients, including bacon. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. 

Nestle in pork chops, cover and bake for 1 hour at 350F or until rice is tender. 

The Ultimate Steak Chili (159 of 150)

Photo from Endless Meals

Look! Another chili recipe. Only this one is without beans. Which is weird for me. Pipe down Texas I know you think chili shouldn't have beans. 

What I decided about this recipes is: 1) It's delicious and 2) It's basically Chili Colorado. 

Blueberry was over for this chili fest and she too agreed that it was delicious and reminder her of chili colorado.

I'm going to continue to make my chili with beans and chili without beans I will now call Chili Colorado. 

The Ultimate Steak Chili

The Food Network

Serves 4 to 6

• 4 pounds chuck eye roast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons dried ancho chile powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 jalapeños, ribs and seeds removed, diced
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 6 cups hot beef stock, or more as needed
• 2 limes, juiced
• Cornbread, french-fried onions, crushed tortilla chips, sliced avocado, corn nuts and sour cream, for serving

Preheat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper. Add the oil to the Dutch oven, then add the beef in two batches to cook until browned on each side, about 5 minutes per batch. Remove the beef to a plate and repeat with the remaining meat.

Reduce the heat to medium, then remove the meat and set aside while keeping the rendered fat in the pan. Add the ancho chile powder, cumin, paprika and oregano and bloom in the oil until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the onions, then season with salt and pepper and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeños and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the crushed tomatoes and beef stock and return the seared chuck to the pot. Lightly simmer, partially covered, until thick and rich, about 2 hours. Adjust the seasoning if necessary, and if the chili is getting too thick, add more beef stock. Finish with lime juice to taste. Serve with the accompaniments.

Olive Cheese Ball with Parmesan Toasted Walnuts (158 of 150)

Photo from Yellow
Bliss Road

I had appetizer this month for book club. I wanted something that traveled easily as book club was supposed to be at Kathy's. Turns out mother nature had other plans and we had book club at my house. 

This cheese ball is as good as any cheeseball. The olives make it especially delicious I think. I'd make this again in a heart beat. 

Olive Cheese Ball with Parmesan Toasted Walnuts

Recipe from Yellow Bliss Road

Serves 6

• 2 8- ounce packages cream cheese softened
• 2 c freshly shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 green onions finely chopped
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1 2.25- ounce can sliced black olives chopped
• 1/2 c pimento stuffed green olives chopped
• Salt & pepper to taste

Coating:

• 2 c finely chopped walnuts
• 1/4 c butter melted
• 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
  

Toasted Walnut Coating:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine ingredients for the coating (walnuts, melted butter, grated Parmesan and garlic salt) and spread evenly onto a parchment or foil-lined rimmed baking sheet.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden, stirring every 5 minutes. Cool Completely.

Cheese ball:

In a large bowl, stir together softened cream cheese, cheddar cheese, green onions and Worcestershire sauce until well combined. Stir in olives.

Cover and chill for at least one hour.

Remove from the refrigerator and form cheese mixture into a ball shape. Roll in toasted Parmesan walnuts, coating completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve

Funeral Potatoes (157 of 150)

Photo from Small Town Woman

These are probably my favorite potato casserole thing. The name, I only assume, is because this gets
taken to pot lucks at church when there's a funeral. 

I made something similar to this last Christmas dinner. Those were called something different, but same idea. 

These feed a crowd. And a crowd I was having tonight for Sunday dinner. I'm sure I'll have leftovers too. 

I have two GF peeps who come to these dinners so I did not use the cream of chicken soup. I used another 8 oz of sour cream. 

Funeral Potatoes

Recipe from Small town woman.com

Serve2 10

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 medium onion finely chopped
• 32 ounces frozen hash brown potatoes (thawed for 30–40 minutes)
• 1/2 cup butter melted
• 16 ounces sour cream
• 1 can (10.5 ounce) cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 1/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 1/4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup butter melted
• 2 cup crushed corn flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until tender, approximately 5 minutes

In a large bowl, stir together hash brown potatoes, onion, 1/2 cup melted butter, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, garlic powder, salt, pepper, cheddar, and Monterey jack. Spoon into prepared dish.

Stir together 1/4 cup melted butter and crushed cornflakes. Sprinkle over the potatoes. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Andes Mint Cake Mix Cookies (156 of 150)

I love Andes Mints. They're my favorite after dinner treat when you go out to restaurants. That said, mint can get overwhelming so the thought of making these cookies had me worried. 

First, you can find Andes mint pieces in the baking aisle now. This saved me from having to chop up the mints. I did cut mints in half for the top of the cookies. 

I didn't follow how they did the cookies with the mints underneath. I mixed the mint pieces into the dough and then plopped 1/2 of a mint on top after they came out of the oven.

Tonight is the Cookie Exchange Sunday dinner and I thought these would be perfect for that event. 

Andes Mint Cake Mix Cookies

Recipe from Dinners, Dishes and Desserts

Makes 24 cookies

1 (15.25 oz) box devil's food cake mix (just the dry mix)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 whole large eggs

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

40 Andes mint candies

Start by breaking 24 of the Andes mints in half, and then stack 1 half on top of the other. Chop the remaining mints into small pieces.

In a large bowl mix together cake mix, vegetable oil, and eggs until well blended. Mix in chocolate chips.

Scoop balls of dough and shape around the stacked Andes Mint candy. Place on a lined baking sheet.

Bake for 9-11 minutes until the edges are set. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Place the chopped mints onto the baked cookies. Let them cool completely and the chocolate to set up before storing.

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Break 24 of the Andes mints in half. Stack 1 half on top of the other. Chop the remaining mints into small pieces.

In a large bowl mix together cake mix, vegetable oil, and eggs until well blended. Mix in chocolate chips.

Scoop balls of dough and shape around the Andes Mint candy. Place on a lined baking sheet.

Bake for 9-11 minutes until the edges are set. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Place the chopped mints onto the baked cookies. Let them cool completely and the chocolate to set up before storing.

Store in an air tight container

Slow Cooker Chili (155 of 150)

Photo from Cafe Delites

It's a cold, wet December day here in Seattle. Perfect day for a nice cozy chili. I have a family chili "recipe" that I usually make. It's not really written down, it's just throwing chili stuff into a pot and letting it cook. That's how mom made it so that's how I make it. 

This recipe seemed really close to that recipe and in a slow cooker. The house smelled amazing and made me very hungry. 

I don't think 1 T of chili powder is enough for this my food, so I added another tablespoon. Add more (or less) if you like. 

And I didn't use green bell peppers because BLECH.

Everything else was spot on. Delicious and a recipe I'd make again. 

Slow Cooker Chili

Recipe from Cafe Delites

Serves 8

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper (capsicum), seeded and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
• 1 pound lean ground beef mince
• 1 pound beef sausage, (Angus beef or Italian sausage)
• 2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes 
• 1 (24 oz) bottle tomato sauce 
• 1 (4 oz) can green chilies 
• 2 cubes beef bouillon, crumbled
• 2 T chili powder (adjust to your tastes)
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp cocoa powder (adjust to your tastes)
• 1 tsp each onion powder and garlic powder
• 1/2-1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed 

Toppings:

sour cream

cheddar cheese

green onions

fresh chopped cilantro

Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Sauté onions and green peppers for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant (30 seconds). Transfer mixture into a 6-quart slow cooker bowl.

Fry beef and sausage until browned. Drain off most of the fat, reserving about 2 tablespoons of fat with the beef; transfer meat into slow cooker bowl. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chilies, bouillon, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, paprika, cocoa powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and sugar. Season with pepper to taste.

Cover with lid and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours if time allows, (or high heat for 2 hours).

Stir beans through and allow them to warm through (about 2 minutes).

Serve with desired toppings and sides: cornbread, corn chips, tortilla chips, crackers.

Easy Red Enchilada Sauce for cheese enchiladas (154 of 150)

Yummy yummy yummy!

Though my first comment is this recipe assumes a person only eats ONE enchilada. Who does that? No one. So if you're feeding a family of 4, this should be enough. Each person gets 2 enchiladas. 

I made a full batch of this recipe and plan on freezing the remaining portions. I made 2 enchiladas and used about 1/2 cup to cover them. I think this recipe makes about 2 cups of sauce. So depending how saucy you like your enchiladas you can get a lot of enchiladas. 

I wouldn't use 1 tsp of salt next time. It was a little too salty for me. Not overly salty, but you may want to start light and add. 

I also added about another 1/2 chili powder. I wanted more chili powder flavor. 

Easy Red Enchilada Sauce for cheese enchiladas

Recipe from Love From the Oven

Serves 8

• 2 tbsp oil vegetable or canola
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 4 tbsp red chili powder Gebhardt Brand recommended
• 1 cup chicken stock or broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 8 corn tortillas
• 3-4 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk together, cooking until starting to brown. Add chili powder and whisk together with flour and oil mixture. The mixture will be thick and dry.

Add water and chicken stock and whisk well until lumps are dissolved. Add in garlic powder and salt, and whisk until combined. Simmer over medium heat for approximately 10-15 minutes, until sauce begins to thicken, and sauce will coat/stick to a spoon when pulled out of sauce. Serve or store in an airtight container.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Set aside one cup of the shredded cheese to use as a topping.

Place eight tortillas on a microwave safe plate, cover with a damp paper towel, and microwave for 20 seconds. After removing from the microwave, keep covered with damp paper towel.

Pour approximately 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce into the bottom of a greased 7x11 inch pan.

Sprinkle a handful of cheese onto a warmed corn tortilla, then roll tortilla up tightly. Place into the sauce in the pan, seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas and cheese.

Pour remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle with remaining one cup of cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling. If desired, top with sour cream. Serve immediately.

Chicken Milanese Sandwiches with Basil-Lime Mayo (153 of 150)

I did it! I successfully fried something without burning it AND it being done all the way through. I'd say it's experience, but I think it's my new pans.

I completely forgot to put lime in this recipe BTW. While this sandwich was delicious, lime would have put it over the top! Next time. 

Chicken Milanese Sandwiches with Basil-Lime Mayo

Recipe from Holajalapeno.com

Serves 4

for the basil-lime mayo:

• 2 c basil leaves
• 1/2 c mayonnaise
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

for the chicken:

• 14 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 c Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 lime, zested
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c vegetable oil, for frying

for the sandwich:

• 4 bolillo or hoagie buns
• baby spinach / lettuce
• tomato

For the basil-lime mayo:

Combine basil leaves, mayonnaise, lime juice, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth.

For the chicken:

Heat oven to 300°F.

Cut chicken breasts in half horizontally. Place one half on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Pound chicken until it is 1/2-inch thick using a meat mallet or anything else heavy (rolling pin or wine bottle would also work). Repeat with remaining chicken.

Cut the pounded chicken into 4 equal pieces if you do not have 4 already.

Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Place Panko in a shallow dish. Season with salt and pepper and add lime zest. Mix seasoning into Panko.

Crack egg into a separate shallow dish. Add 1 tablespoon of water, season with salt and pepper and whisk until smooth.

Place flour in a third shallow dish. Season with salt and pepper and mix to combine. Place one or two chicken pieces in the flour mixture and coat on all sides.

Transfer floured chicken to the egg wash and turn to coat. Now place in the Panko mixture and press to coat with Panko on all sides. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces.

Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, test with a pinch of Panko. If the oil is hot enough the Panko should sizzle immediately.

Slide 1 or 2 Panko-coated chicken breast into the hot oil (don't crowd) and let cook, undisturbed until deep golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for 3 minutes more.

Transfer chicken to the baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm while you cook the rest of the chicken. You can place the rolls in the oven too if you want them toasted a little bit.

If most of the oil has been used in the pan add a couple more tablespoons of oil to cook the rest of the chicken pieces.

To make the sandwiches:

Slice each roll in half and spread some basil-lime mayo on the top and bottom of the rolls. Put a bit of baby spinach on the bottom half then top with a piece of chicken. Pile some pickles on top and cover with the top bun.

One Pot Spaghetti (152 of 150)

Photo from Dance
Around the Kitchen

These one pot recipes always intrigue me and I rarely actually only use one pot. I've not been successful with cooking pasta in a single pot with the other items. 

In this case, I thought I'd give it another try and actually follow the recipe. It was relatively successful. I had to add more liquid and I'm really not a fan of breaking spaghetti in half. You can't twirl it on your fork then. 

The flavor of this spaghetti was delicious though. It's got solid ingredients and not anything fancy.

One Pot Spaghetti

Recipe from Dance around the kitchen

Serves 6

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 ½ cups beef broth
• One 24 ounce jar marinara sauce
• One 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano drained
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 8 ounces spaghetti uncooked
• grated parmesan, red pepper flakes, fresh basil for topping optional

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef until fully cooked; drain.

Add the broth, marinara sauce, diced tomatoes and garlic powder; bring to a boil.

Stir in the spaghetti.

Let boil, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes or until the pasta is tender and the sauce is thick.

Top with grated parmesan, red pepper flakes and basil, if desired.

Crock Pot Beef Stew (151 of 150)

Photo from Life in
the Loft House

Beef stew is not a hard thing to make for me. I use my Grandma Spaid's recipe. Simple, old fashioned and delicious. 

Every now and then a stew recipe is randomly selected. The photo on the recipe page is what caught my eye for this one for some reason. I didn't actually read the full recipe until I was doing my grocery shopping for the week. And even then, I didn't really think about this recipe. 

This morning as I was putting it together it dawned on me that I have never, EVER , used Cream of Celery soup in anything, let alone in a stew. 

I added a couple of tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce because it just wasn't savory enough for my taste. I also added a tablespoon of tomato paste. The ketchup is weird and sweet so I needed more tomato taste it felt like. 

Overall, this was a good stew. It was hearty, filling and good enough. I won't make it again, but not because it was a bad recipe, but because I'll just use my Grandma's recipe. 

Crock Pot Beef Stew

Recipe from Life in the Loft House

Serves 8

• 2 packages (1 ounce, each) dry onion soup mix
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 2 pounds lean beef stew meat cut up into bite size pieces
• 5 medium potatoes peeled and diced
• 2 to 3 c baby carrots
• 1 small yellow onion chopped
• 2 cans (10 ounces, each) cream of celery soup
• 1 c ketchup *(you can substitute tomato sauce if you don't like ketchup)

In a large plastic bag, combine the dry onion soup mix and paprika. Add in meat and shake the bag to coat meat with the seasonings. (You may have to do that step in two batches, for all the meat to fit) Once meat is coated, spread out evenly into a greased 7 quart crock pot.

Top meat evenly with diced potatoes, carrots and onion.

Mix the cream of celery soup and ketchup in a small bowl. Pour mixture over the meat and vegetables.

Cover crock pot with lid. Cook on low heat for 8 hours or until meat is cooked through and vegetables are tender. Stir to combine everything then serve.

Hobo Stew (Mulligan Stew) (150 of 150)

That's it! I did it! I met my goal of 150 new recipes this year. I suspect I'll get to about 165 by end of the
year. 

This was delicious. I always love a nice, hearty stew/soup when it's cold out. And since I'll be eating left over turkey it was nice to have some leftovers other than turkey. 

This soup/stew can be made with most everything you probably have in your pantry, which makes it budget friendly and can feed a crowd. 

Two things I didn't do. I didn't add the potato. I've decided that I'm not a fan of potatoes in soup. They get too mushy. And you might also notice I didn't add peas. No thank you! I cut up extra celery and carrots though. 

Hobo Stew (Mulligan Stew)

Recipe from Butter Your Biscuits

Serves 6

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 c celery, chopped about 3 stalks
• 2 c carrots, diced about 3 medium carrots
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 T all-purpose flour
• 2 c low sodium beef broth
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 2 15-ounce cans tomato soup
• 1 14.5 can diced tomatoes do not drain
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp cajun seasoning
• 2-3 c Russet potatoes
• 2 c frozen corn
• 1 1/2 c frozen peas
• 2 c green beans fresh or frozen
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Heat a large Dutch oven or pot on medium-high heat and add the ground beef cook for 4-5 minutes just until starting to brown.

Add in the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic, and cook another 4-5 minutes.

Sprinkle in the flour stir and cook for about 30 seconds

Pour in the beef broth, bouillon cubes, tomato soup, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and cajun seasoning and mix until combined.

Add in the potatoes, corn, peas and green beans cover and let simmer over medium low heat for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Add the salt and pepper or more to taste.

Beef Tips (149 of 150)

This is recipe 149 of 150. I'll hit my goal on Sunday with whatever new recipe I make. You'd think I'd try to make the final recipe something special, but I don't. 

This recipe was good. Simple and requires only a little planning to start it within 2 hours of when you want to eat. 

I highly recommend not to season this one until the end. The packet of onion soup mix has  a ton of salt. This turned out pretty salty for me. Of course I cut the recipe in half and used a full packet of soup mix, so there's that. 

Beef Tips

Recipe from Spaceships and Laser Beams

Serves 6

• 3 T olive oil divided
• 2 lb cubed chuck meat or stew meat
• 1 medium white onion diced
• 3 c beef broth low sodium
• 1 envelope dry onion soup mix 55g
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 T cornstarch
• 1/3 c water
• 1/2 T parsley freshly chopped

Repeat the steps by adding in the second tablespoon of olive oil and the other half of the beef cubes. Again, once cooked place these cooked cubes in a separate bowl with the rest of the cooked meat.

Add the third tablespoon of olive oil into the same pot then add in onions and cook until tender, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the beef cubes back in plus beef broth, onion soup mix, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir to mix. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 ½ hours.

Remove bay leaf.

Mix cornstarch and water in a separate small bowl until cornstarch has melted.

Pour the cornstarch mixture into the beef mixture and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Serve hot.

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

1 bay leaf

2 T cornstarch

1/3 c water

1/2 T parsley freshly chopped

Filipino Chicken Adobo (148 of 150)

The blog I found this recipe on said it's from America's Test Kitchen. I find it hard to believe to be honest. This recipe wasn't great. Every recipe I've made from ATK has been super delicious. 

I've had a lot of Chicken Adobo in my life and none of them were like this. I wasn't a fan of this recipe. It was way too vinegar-y and really lacked flavor on the whole. 

Filipino Chicken Adobo 

Recipe from Splendid Table

Serves 4

• 8 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed
• 1/3 c soy sauce
• 1 (13 1/2-ounce) can coconut milk
• 3/4 c cider vinegar
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 tsp pepper
• 1 scallion, sliced thin

1. Toss chicken with soy sauce in large bowl. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

2. Remove chicken from soy sauce, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Transfer chicken, skin side down, to 12-inch nonstick skillet; set aside soy sauce.

3. Place skillet over medium-high heat and cook until chicken skin is browned, 7 to 10 minutes. While chicken is browning, whisk coconut milk, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, and pepper into soy sauce.

4. Transfer chicken to plate and discard fat in skillet. Return chicken to skillet skin side down, add coconut milk mixture, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Flip chicken skin side up and continue to cook, uncovered, until chicken registers 175 degrees, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil.

5. Remove bay leaves and skim any fat off surface of sauce. Return skillet to medium-high heat and cook until sauce is thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken, sprinkle with scallion, and serve.

One Pot Chicken Stew (147 of 150)

I have never made a chicken stew. I looked through all my past recipes and none of them are of a chicken stew. I've made chicken pot pie, and chicken pot pie soup but not a stew. This recipe is basically chicken pot pie, just not in a pie crust. 

This is a one pot meal which makes it easy for clean up. It's hearty and has plenty of flavor. Even though, I neglected to add the thyme, sage and rosemary. I'm not a fan of those herbs so I left them out. 

I also, accidentally, left the potato out. Didn't miss it, to be honest. 

One Pot Chicken Stew

Recipe from Butter Your Biscuit

Serves 6

• 2 T olive oil
• 8 chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 c onion, diced
• 1 c carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c all purpose flour
• 4 c low sodium chicken stock
• 1 1/2 c Russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 c green beans
• 1 c frozen corn
• 1 c frozen peas
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh sage, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1/2 c heavy cream

Heat a Dutch oven or large pot on medium-high heat add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the diced chicken, salt and pepper and brown. Its okay if its not cooked all the way through then remove to a plate.

Add in another tablespoon of olive oil and add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic cook for about 3 minutes just to soften. Sprinkle in the all purpose flour and stir, cook for another minute.

Pour in the chicken stock and potatoes, cover, and bring to a simmer, cook for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

Add in green beans, corn, peas, herbs, and chicken. Stir, cover and bring back to a simmer.

Remove the lid and stir in the heavy cream add more salt and pepper to taste and serve!

Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup (146 of 150)

Normally tomato soup is my sick food. I'm not sick - just so I'm clear. This recipe filtered through my random selection this week. It's fall so soups are perfect. 

I didn't make the croutons in the recipe. I had a grilled cheese  made with "fancy" bread - meaning not bread in a loaf. I mean grilled cheese and tomato soup are two peas in a pod. 

This was a solid recipe. I had it in the slow cooker for 4 hours. I added a bit more water after about 3 hours because I like my soups a little more soupy. 

One thing to note, when adding the cream, I like to temper it. Meaning put the cream in a measuring cup then ladle in some soup to warm up the cream before adding to the soup. I find when adding cold cream to a tomato based sauce I sometimes get curdling. I did not this time. 

If you don't have an immersion blender, like me, try putting it in a blender. Be careful though because hot liquids tend to splash out at times. 

Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup

Recipe from Damn Delicious

Serves 8

• 2 28-ounce cans whole peeled plum tomatoes with basil
• 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 ½ cvegetable broth
• 3 cloves  garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
• ⅓ c heavy cream
• ⅓ c chopped fresh basil leaves

FOR THE PARMESAN CHEDDAR CROUTONS:

• 4 c 1-inch French bread cubes
• 1 c shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• ¼ c freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.

To make the parmesan cheddar croutons, spread bread cubes in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet; sprinkle with cheeses. Place into oven and bake until crisp and golden, about 10-12 minutes, stirring halfway; set aside and let cool.

Place tomatoes into a 6-qt slow cooker. Stir in tomato sauce, vegetable broth, garlic, onion, bell pepper, tomato paste, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper until well combined. Crush the tomatoes into chunks using the back of a spoon.

Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.

Puree with an immersion blender until desired consistency is reached. Stir in heavy cream and basil; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve immediately with parmesan cheddar croutons.

German Pork Cutlets (145 of 150)

Photo from Spicy 
Southern Kitchen

Last night was a German themed Sunday dinner. I couldn't find German sausage which was what I wanted to make. Instead I found this recipe and I gotta say I'm glad for it. 

This recipe was amazing. It's definitely in the top 5 for this year. What I think really made this was the sherry. That added such a nice flavor to it. 

The pork tenderloin I got was split in two - no idea why. So these ended up like medallions instead of larger cutlets. This turned out much better I think. 

German Pork Cutlets

Recipe from Spicy Southern Kitchen

Serves 4

• 1 (1 1/2 pound) pork tenderloin
• salt and pepper
• 2-3 T vegetable oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 c dry sherry
• 1/2  c beef broth
• 1/2 c heavy cream
• 1/2 c diced ham
• fresh dill for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 250 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Slice tenderloin into 12 pieces. Place pieces a few at a time between 2 layers of plastic wrap. Pound with a meat mallet or a heavy rolling pin until flattened to 1/4-inch.

Season pork with salt and pepper.

Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a large skillet. Heat over medium-high heat.

Cook pork cutlets in 2 batches, cooking for about 2 minutes per side. Add an extra tablespoon of oil for the second batch if needed.

Place pork on prepared baking sheet and place in oven to keep warm.

Add onion and mushrooms to pan and cook until onion is soft and mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes.

Pour sherry into pan and scrape the browned bits off the bottom. Simmer until nearly all the liquid has evaporated.

Add beef broth and heavy cream and cooked until reduced by 1/2.

Add ham and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, ladle sauce over pork cutlets and garnish with dill.

Chicken Stroganoff (144 of 150)

Beef stroganoff is one of my favorite comfort foods. I've had this recipe in my library for a long time. I'm glad I finally made it though. 

This was a good recipe. It's easy and delicious. My two favorite things. I served it over rice cuz that's how I roll. 

Chicken Stroganoff

Recipe from Cooking Light

Serves 4

• 2 T olive oil, divided
• 1 pound chicken breast tenders, cut into 1-in. pieces
• 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
• 3/4 tsp black pepper, divided
• 2 1/2 c unsalted chicken stock, divided
• 1 T all-purpose flour
• 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cremini mushrooms
• 1 T minced garlic
• 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 c dry white wine
• 6 ounces uncooked wide egg noodles
• 1/2 c light sour cream
• 1 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes or until done, turning once. Remove from pan.

Combine 1 tablespoon stock and flour in a small bowl. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan over medium-high. Add mushrooms; cook 8 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme; cook 1 minute. 

Add wine; cook 2 minutes or until reduced by half, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in remaining 2 cups and 7 tablespoons stock; bring to a simmer. 

Add noodles; cook, uncovered, 8 minutes or until done. Stir in flour mixture; cook 1 minute. 

Remove pan from heat; stir in chicken, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and sour cream. Sprinkle with parsley.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (143 of 150)

Janet gave me some bananas that were on the verge of turning. I knew I wanted to make banana bread
of some sort. So I decided this was the recipe.

It's a weird recipe because there's no butter in it. They taste fine, but they aren't as rich as banana bread usually is. 

I won't make this again, but it'll keep my banana bread craving down for a bit. I should also mention, I made muffin tops instead of all muffins. They're the best part of the muffin anyhow. 

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Recipe from Recipe Girl

Makes 12

• 3 medium very-ripe bananas
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 c nonfat milk
• 1/2 c granulated sugar
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 T mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat regular-sized muffin tin with cooking spray (or line with papers).

In a large bowl, mash bananas with fork. Whisk in egg, milk, and sugars.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to wet mixture and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon equal amounts of batter into 12 muffin cups. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Fried Pork Chops & Country Gravy (142 of 150)

Photo from South Your Mouth

I'm not good at frying things so I keep finding recipes that I can practice with. Dad used to make fried pork chops and he always did them perfectly. 

This is a very basic recipe - well, as long as you can fry something without burning it. And I could have done this without a recipe, but not everyone is like that. I figured a basic recipe now and then is helpful to someone...maybe.

Also, this works best with thinner pork chops. I bought ones that were a little too thick for frying I think. 

Fried Pork Chops & Country Gravy

Recipe from South Your Mouth

Serves 6

• 6 bone-in pork chops
• Salt & pepper
• 1 1/2 c flour
• Vegetable oil
• 4 c water or broth

Pour enough vegetable oil in a large frying pan to coat the bottom (about an 1/8 of an inch deep). Heat oil on medium-high heat until approximately 350 degrees.

Add flour (all-purpose or self rising can be used) to a pie plate or other deep-sided dish; set aside.

Season pork chops liberally with salt and pepper then dredge in flour. Shake all excess flour off of each chop. Set flour aside.

Cook chops (in batches – do not overcrowd the pan) in hot oil until golden brown on each side. Don't flip the chops before they have browned or some of the breading could stick to the pan. Once all the chops have been cooked, set aside and keep warm until ready to serve.

Pour off all but 1/3 cup of pan drippings leaving all the bits of goodness in the pan (I usually just eyeball this but if you’re unsure, simply pour off all the oil in the pan then measure 1/3 cup and add back to the pan).

Of the remaining flour used to coat the chops, measure 1/3 cup and add it to the hot oil. You want the oil/flour mixture to be about the thickness of ketchup.

Whisk the flour and oil together and cook over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes or until medium brown. Slowly add broth or water to pan and whisk constantly until smooth and well combined with the roux. Reduce heat to medium-low, add salt and pepper to taste, and cook for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.

Serve gravy with pork chops and white rice or mashed potatoes.

Slow Cooker French Dip (141 0f 150)

Photo from Butter Your Biscuit

Its rainy and blustering outside today. Perfect day to for a slow cooker recipe. This particular recipe came up in my random shuffle of recipe selection. As it cooked all day the house smelled so amazing. 

The coke threw me off on this recipe. I thought it odd, but you know, it added a nice "sweet' without it being SWEET to the au jus.

Slow Cooker French Dip

Recipe from Butter Your Biscuit

Serves 6

• 1 boneless beef chuck roast ( about 4-5 pounds)
• 3 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 can (10-1/2 ounces) condensed French onion soup, undiluted
• 1 can (10-1/2 ounces) condensed beef consommé, undiluted
• 1 c beef broth
• 1 can coke or cherry coke
• 1 medium onion sliced
• 1 T Worcestershire
• 12 slices Provolone cheese
• 6 (8 inch) french rolls

Season generously both sides of the meat with salt and pepper

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, add the roast and sear for 3-4 minutes then flip and sear the other side.

Place roast into slow cooker, add soup, consommé, coke, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and onion.

Cook on high 4-6 hours or low 6-8 hours. Remove and slice, and reserve juices and onions.

Preheat the broiler. Split rolls in half. Place on a baking sheet and broil for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Top each half with beef, onions and 2 slices of cheese. Return to the oven and broil until cheese is melted.

Serve with a little bowl of the cooking juices (au jus)...Enjoy!

Tortellini with Creamy Garlic Parmesan Sauce (140 of 150)

I am not really sure what to say about this recipe. It has all the ingredients that sound good together, but this was pretty flavorless. 

I used jarred garlic, which could be part of the problem. It needed a lot more garlic. 

I won't make this again. I have a lot of recipes that I need to try, but I'm glad I tried this one. 

Tortellini with Creamy Garlic Parmesan Sauce

Recipe from Yellow Bliss Road

Serves 4

• 1-20 oz package Fresh Tortellini or 2- 9 oz
• 2 T butter
• 1 T minced garlic
• 2 T all-purpose flour
• 1 c nonfat milk
• 1 c heavy cream
• 1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Cook Tortellini in a pot of boiling, salted water, according to package directions.

Melt butter in a sauté pan and add garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds, add flour and cook for 2 minutes, until it starts to turn a golden color.

Whisk in milk and heavy cream and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture starts to thicken (about 3-4 minutes).

Remove pan from heat and gently stir in the freshly grated Parmesan, stirring constantly until completely melted. Add more milk or more cheese as need until you are happy with the consistency.

Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.

Toss Tortellini in the sauce and divide into bowls.

Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Autumn Apple and Spinach Salad (139 of 150)

Photo from
Recipe Girl

Last night was book club - my assigned part of dinner was a salad. I knew Janet was going to make a quiche so I wanted a salad a little lighter. 

As I browsed my salad recipes I found a couple "harvest" types. Perfect for a fall book club. I choose this Autumn Apple and Spinach salad because it sounded a bit lighter than most of them. 

What I liked about this salad was all the textures; crunchy apples, soft, buttery blue cheese that added a nice tang, and the slimy texture of the spinach. Just kidding, it wasn't slimy. Just checking to see if you were paying attention. 

The dressing was super easy to make and so refreshing. Not very sweet and a little tangy itself. 

You won't regret it if you make this salad, I promise. 

Autumn Apple and Spinach Salad

Recipe from Recipe Girl

Serves 6

Dressing:

• 2 T freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 T freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp honey
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

• 1/2 c thinly vertically sliced red onion
• 8 c bagged pre-washed baby spinach (about 8 ounces)
• 1 large firm, sweet-tart apple, cored & thinly sliced
• 1/4 c crumbled blue cheese (about 1 ounce)

In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.

In a large bowl, combine the onion, spinach and apple. Drizzle with dressing; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

Boat Dip Recipe (138 of 150)

Photo from Savoring the Good

Tomorrow night is book club! I am covering the appetizer for Sherrie who suddenly can't make it. I needed to find something easy and, hopefully, with items I had on hand. Turns out I had everything but sour cream for this. Since I had to get chips anyhow, I ran to the store and picked up the sour cream. 

I also added green onions to this since I had them in the fridge. 

This is a quick, easy and super yummy recipe. It makes a lot, but I have plans for the leftovers. I imagined creating a quesadilla with beans, meat and then this with more cheese on top. MMMM

Boat Dip Recipe

Recipe from Savoring the Good

12 servings

• 24 ounces sour cream 
• 1 packet Taco Seasoning, McCormick Organic Mix
• 2 cups Cheese
• (Mexican blend, shredded)
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes (drained)

Drain the Rotel in a colander for a few minutes to remove the excess moisture.

In a large bowl, stir together all the ingredients.

Chill in the refridgerator for a minimum of one hour or up to over night for best flavor.

Easy Korean Beef Bulgogi (137 of 150)

Photo from Jo Cooks

Ever since my friend Paul made me make his favorite bulgogi recipe, I am now a little obsessed with finding another just as good. What I like about bulgogi is the sweet / spicy element to it. 

This recipe had plenty of the sweet and zero spicy. I added a tablespoon of sriracha and I'm glad I did. I won't make this again. It was good, but Paul's was better.

Easy Korean Beef Bulgogi

Recipe from Jo Cooks

Serves 4

Marinade

• 3 T soy sauce (low sodium)
• 2 T brown sugar (packed)
• 1 T honey
• 2 T mirin
• 6 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 green onion (cut on the diagonal)
• ½ kiwi (pureed with a fork, or Asian pear)
• ½ tsp pepper (freshly ground)
• 2 tsp sesame seeds (toasted)

Beef Bulgogi

• 1½ pounds flank steak (thinly sliced)
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Make the marinade: Combine all the marinade ingredients together in a medium sized bowl.

Marinate the beef: Add the sliced beef to the marinade and using your clean hands, massage the beef with the marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cook the beef: In a non-stick skillet add the sesame oil over high heat. Cook the meat in batches until slightly brown on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Repeat with remaining meat.

Serve: Serve hot over rice.

Pork Chop Marinade (136 of 150)

I try to mix up my protein by adding pork to it.  I could eat beef every day, but we all know that's not a good idea. And chicken gets boring for me after having it a few times a week. Fish isn't something I cook enough either. So pork gets tossed in every now and then. 

This recipe was ok. I marinaded it for 4 hours and I'm glad I did. It sounds flavorful, but it really wasn't as flavorful as I expected. I got a pork chop, bone in, that was about an inch thick. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe they needed to be thinner chops. 

Pork Chop Marinade

Recipe from The Recipe Critic

Serves 4

• ¼ c soy sauce
• ¼ c orange juice
• 2 T brown sugar
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 4 pork chops

In a medium bowl, whisk together your ingredients.

Pour your marinade into a sealable plastic bag and place 4 pork chops into the bag with the marinade and allow them to marinate for at least an hour.

Cook your pork chops with your preferred method, you can grill, bake or cook them on the stovetop.

Discard any used marinade